Could I be 10% bf and still eat like a human?

[Nate the Snake]

Long story short:

Started off at 265 now Im at 174. I plateaued for about 4 months at 180 but found a method to lose weight. All I basically eat is straight tuna out the can, egg whites, peanut butter, and on workout days a protein bar and shake. Anyway my eventual goal is to get to like 10% bf.

I basically just do this just to get women, thats it. Anyway so the question is, if I have super endomorphic tendencies and pack on the pounds at the slightest hint of a cheat meal. It effects my dating life and social life if I just eat the above foods constantly and never eat "normal food like a human". So my goal is to get to and maintain 10% bf? Could I live a normal life and do this?

[LimpDawg]

Long story short:

Started off at 265 now Im at 174. I plateaued for about 4 months at 180 but found a method to lose weight. All I basically eat is straight tuna out the can, egg whites, peanut butter, and on workout days a protein bar and shake. Anyway my eventual goal is to get to like 10% bf.

I basically just to get women, thats it. Anyway so the question is, if I have super endomorphic tendencies and pack on the pounds at the slightest hint of a cheat meal. It effects my dating life and social life if I just eat the above foods constantly and never eat "normal food like a human". So my goal is to get to and maintain 10% bf? Could I live a normal life and do this?

I can relate, i want to eat like a horse

[Gxp23]

Why not eat foods you enjoy while staying within your calorie range? No need for a cheat meal.

Also, women are probably going to think you are just a skinny guy at 10%, what are you at now?

[Nate the Snake]

I can relate, i want to eat like a horse

I mean so do I. However, I am willing to "eat like a cat" (as my friends refer to it), and 90% of the time eat just tuna out of the can, and also some egg whites. I understand that a big part of the game in bodybuilding is to diet. So Im not saying I dont want to diet. I understand that it takes sacrifices.

However, again, Im just wondering how good I can look and what goal is feasible for me to reach while still going out once or maybe twice a week with a woman and/or friends and eating normal meals like pizza, steaks with mashed potatoes with butter, etc.

[MilkyQuaver]

I eat out and drink regularly and keep my body like it looks in my AVI most of the time so yes it can be done to have a social life and look half decent.

Im not 10% in that pic probably 12% but there you go.

If you are doing this to pic up women then you might want to change your goals, How often do you approach women with your top off? how often do you approach women in a bar clothed?

If its the latter then you want to build some arms/chest/shoulders because that is what women prefer, obviously they like a 6 pack but you wont get to show any of them it if you dont pull them in the first place will you.

[Nate the Snake]

Why not eat foods you enjoy while staying within your calorie range? No need for a cheat meal.

Also, women are probably going to think you are just a skinny guy at 10%, what are you at now?

Its hard to work foods I love into my everday meals. But this is me right now. I am 5'10, 174 lbs and am at probably 20% bf. This is good though because I started off at 43% bf. But yeah, still have a ways to go.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...psz5y4huh7.jpg

[Nate the Snake]

I eat out and drink regularly and keep my body like it looks in my AVI most of the time so yes it can be done to have a social life and look half decent.

Im not 10% in that pic probably 12% but there you go.

If you are doing this to pic up women then you might want to change your goals, How often do you approach women with your top off? how often do you approach women in a bar clothed?

If its the latter then you want to build some arms/chest/shoulders because that is what women prefer, obviously they like a 6 pack but you wont get to show any of them it if you dont pull them in the first place will you.

You make an excellent point. Most of the time I am approaching them with my shirt on. Abs are probably my sh*ttest feature as seen in the pic above. However, I have naturally broad shoulders and a thin waist (you could see that if I just lost the love handles).

Anyway what is your advice? Get to 12% bf and lean bulk. Then aim for maybe 15% bf at the end. From my understanding at 15% you can still have a very flat stomach and abs, plus your body will still have that nice v shape. True?

[MilkyQuaver]

You make an excellent point. Most of the time I am approaching them with my shirt on. Abs are probably my sh*ttest feature as seen in the pic above. However, I have naturally broad shoulders and a thin waist (you could see that if I just lost the love handles).

Anyway what is your advice? Get to 12% bf and lean bulk. Then aim for maybe 15% bf at the end. From my understanding at 15% you can still have a very flat stomach and abs, plus your body will still have that nice v shape. True?

Cut at least another 20lbs then re asses how you look, you will want to shred some more of that fat before anything in my opinion.

Numbers are just numbers, just get to a point where you feel good and confident about yourself, self confidence is a big one for attracting women.

Thats very much dependent on genetics/the amount of lbm you have. Personally im quite bloated in the stomach when im around 15% but look better in clothes due to bigger upper body/arms

[Nate the Snake]

Cut at least another 20lbs then re asses how you look, you will want to shred some more of that fat before anything in my opinion.

Numbers are just numbers, just get to a point where you feel good and confident about yourself, self confidence is a big one for attracting women.

Thats very much dependent on genetics/the amount of lbm you have. Personally im quite bloated in the stomach when im around 15% but look better in clothes due to bigger upper body/arms

So cut another 20 lbs. Ok. I can do that. I mean Ive become very good at cutting. This is me when I first began.


http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...psf2960d7b.png

[KiNGACE]

I am trying to control my diet but so hard because curry everywhere....

[MilkyQuaver]

So cut another 20 lbs. Ok. I can do that. I mean Ive become very good at cutting. This is me when I first began.


http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...psf2960d7b.png

Yeah nice job so far.

Maybe 20lbs is to high after looking again at your pic either way just keep cutting the body fat for now and lifting heavy.

You can re asses every 5-10lbs and see how you feel.

[KMac4566]

I would highly recommend fitting foods you like into your diet, not a cheat meal. Man cannot live on canned tuna and egg whites alone.

IMO it will eventually lead to binge eating

[JoeFarrellC]

Anything is possible, diet would have to be very flexible while still working (ex - Flexible Dieting). I would read Lyle McDonald's guide to flexible dieting.

[Nate the Snake]

Yeah nice job so far.

Maybe 20lbs is to high after looking again at your pic either way just keep cutting the body fat for now and lifting heavy.

You can re asses every 5-10lbs and see how you feel.

Thank you. Im thinking I might cut to 155 lbs and see how that looks on me.

[Nate the Snake]

I would highly recommend fitting foods you like into your diet, not a cheat meal. Man cannot live on canned tuna and egg whites alone.

IMO it will eventually lead to binge eating

Well its actually canned tuna, egg whites, peanut butter, celery, and Occassionally a protein bar. Oh and after workouts I drink a protein shake.

[Nate the Snake]

Anything is possible, diet would have to be very flexible while still working (ex - Flexible Dieting). I would read Lyle McDonald's guide to flexible dieting.

Sounds good.

[Gxp23]

No egg yolks?

[Rabbitjb]

Nothing as unattractive as a man, or woman, who doesn't eat proper food

Ok I'm exaggerating but that diet is sad

You can eat anything to your calorie limit as long as you hit your protein and fat minimums. You should get a widespread of foods to hit your micronutrient targets

And do some progressive resistance work to maintain your musculature as much as possible

I eat egg whites too (cos I'm yolk intolerant) but add ham, cheese, spinach and mushroom to it and eat it over white farmhouse toast with a huge mug of coffee ...under 300 calories it's a drop in the ocean and takes 3 minutes to make each morning

Do you not enjoy food?

[Nate the Snake]

No egg yolks?

No egg yolks. Too high in fat. When I say I gain weight really easily...I mean it. I just get this stuff called "all whites, egg whites", which are 100% egg whites in a carton.

[ComeOnFFS]

I'd probaby do some IF then. Fast a couple of days a week so I could eat something remotely pleasurabe now and then. Does you no harm.

Plus you could always create as big deficit as you like with lots of cardio.

If it was an hour on the treadmill a day or nothing but tinned tuna forever I'd be hitting that treadmill and enjoying the much improved fitness to boot.

[Nate the Snake]

Nothing as unattractive as a man, or woman, who doesn't eat proper food

Ok I'm exaggerating but that diet is sad

You can eat anything to your calorie limit as long as you hit your protein and fat minimums. You should get a widespread of foods to hit your micronutrient targets

And do some progressive resistance work to maintain your musculature as much as possible

I eat egg whites too (cos I'm yolk intolerant) but add ham, cheese, spinach and mushroom to it and eat it over white farmhouse toast with a huge mug of coffee ...under 300 calories it's a drop in the ocean and takes 3 minutes to make each morning

Do you not enjoy food?

1) You say there is nothing more unattractive than a man who doesnt enjoy his food. But u were joking.

However, this is no joke at all, and many women share your views. For example, I went on a date with a girl about 3 weeks ago. I took her to her favorite bar on a date. We went there, and she got the loaded nachos and a pitcher of beer. I told her I was dieting and was just gonna go with the grilled chicken salad with oil and vinegar dressing.

She looked extremely turned off by this, so Im like, "Well, whatever. I'll share the loaded nachos and drink some beer with you." She then seemed much happier. I gained 5 lbs the next day.

Bottom line is, I need to figure out a way to look good but not take it so far that I can never "eat normal" around friends and family.

[Rabbitjb]

1) You say there is nothing more unattractive than a man who doesnt enjoy his food. But u were joking.

However, this is no joke at all, and many women share your views. For example, I went on a date with a girl about 3 weeks ago. I took her to her favorite bar on a date. We went there, and she got the loaded nachos and a pitcher of beer. I told her I was dieting and was just gonna go with the grilled chicken salad with oil and vinegar dressing.

She looked extremely turned off by this, so Im like, "Well, whatever. I'll share the loaded nachos and drink some beer with you." She then seemed much happier. I gained 5 lbs the next day.

Bottom line is, I need to figure out a way to look good but not take it so far that I can never "eat normal" around friends and family.

Yeah I was semi-serious ...food can be sensuous and sharing

And you need to understand how weight loss works and what water fluctuations will do to your body

You didn't put on 5lbs fat overnight ...your weight increased due to
1) additional food in digestive system (minor)
2) going from low carb to carb ...glycogen restored in body and associated water weight
3) excess sodium ...additional water in body

It wasn't fat ..it would have been gone in a week

You can eat normally if you choose to

Put your height and weight into a calculator like http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ or http://www.weightloss-calculator.net

Set a small defecit to lose up to 1lb a week. How you hit your defecit is up to you ...you could low carb but restrictive, you might IF or even just IIFYM..I like watching my protein and eating all da foods personally

Eat real food to that

For how you've been eating you're going to have to increase slowly ...say 100-200 additional calories for a couple of weeks, let your weight go up and settle then increase calories again

What you're doing at the moment is not getting an overall nutritious diet so you will have issues, and not eating a regular diet with a view to portion sizes so you will have extreme fluctuations, limits on your social life and a tendency to crash and burn

Well that's just my thoughts on it ...feel free to ignore me

[Nate the Snake]

I'd probaby do some IF then. Fast a couple of days a week so I could eat something remotely pleasurabe now and then. Does you no harm.

Plus you could always create as big deficit as you like with lots of cardio.

If it was an hour on the treadmill a day or nothing but tinned tuna forever I'd be hitting that treadmill and enjoying the much improved fitness to boot.

Yeah fasting doesnt work great for me because I have hypoglycemia and feel like I will pass out if I dont eat for a while. Now Im doing an experiment this weekend to see how it works. I took a cheat meal yesterday and ate two sausage and cheese croissants from Burger King and a medium hashbrown. Tonight Im going to Longhorn steakhouse with my mom for mothers day and Im sure that will be one hell of a cheat meal. Lets see what happens

[Rabbitjb]

Yeah fasting doesnt work great for me because I have hypoglycemia and feel like I will pass out if I dont eat for a while. Now Im doing an experiment this weekend to see how it works. I took a cheat meal yesterday and ate two sausage and cheese croissants from Burger King and a medium hashbrown. Tonight Im going to Longhorn steakhouse with my mom for mothers day and Im sure that will be one hell of a cheat meal. Lets see what happens

You could have either of those with calorie control ..you could save up calories over the week to fund the meals

What will happen is you will probably eat a few thousand over maintenance and put on at the most a lb but this will be hidden in a huge water weight shift...you will see this on the scale and panic ...don't ...it's water from carbs and sodium and food ...just give it a week back at calorie limit and you will be back on track

[Nate the Snake]

Yeah I was semi-serious ...food can be sensuous and sharing

And you need to understand how weight loss works and what water fluctuations will do to your body

You didn't put on 5lbs fat overnight ...your weight increased due to
1) additional food in digestive system (minor)
2) going from low carb to carb ...glycogen restored in body and associated water weight
3) excess sodium ...additional water in body

It wasn't fat ..it would have been gone in a week

You can eat normally if you choose to

Put your height and weight into a calculator like http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ or http://www.weightloss-calculator.net

Set a small defecit to lose up to 1lb a week. How you hit your defecit is up to you ...you could low carb but restrictive, you might IF or even just IIFYM..I like watching my protein and eating all da foods personally

Eat real food to that

For how you've been eating you're going to have to increase slowly ...say 100-200 additional calories for a couple of weeks, let your weight go up and settle then increase calories again

What you're doing at the moment is not getting an overall nutritious diet so you will have issues, and not eating a regular diet with a view to portion sizes so you will have extreme fluctuations, limits on your social life and a tendency to crash and burn

Well that's just my thoughts on it ...feel free to ignore me

Im not going to ignore you. But yeah I used to use a food calculator and it was myfitnesspal. It worked well for a long time, and I was losing weight steadily. Then all of a sudden I get to a grinding halt at 180 lbs and BOOM....plateau for 4 months! So I tried everything to break this plateau, and nothing worked. Then all of a sudden I tried something new and BANG....it worked! Im kind of hoping to do this for a limited time because from past experience it seems harder to lose than to maintain. But Im like, good God, I hope dont have to eat this way when Im 10-12% bf. Im willing to aim for a higher bf % in the future, if I do have to keep this up because its ridiculous.

[Nate the Snake]

Oh and suprisingly, I do lift, people. You just cant see it because I am on a cut and its hard to gain muscle after the initial noob gains.

[Gxp23]

No egg yolks. Too high in fat. When I say I gain weight really easily...I mean it. I just get this stuff called "all whites, egg whites", which are 100% egg whites in a carton.

Fat doesnt make you fat though, so I am assuming you are getting enough fat from other sources?

[codd]

Do you lift? You should start a bodybuilding or powerlifting split if you want to look better (not one that you make but a proven one). You keep writing about abs ...

[Gxp23]

Yeah fasting doesnt work great for me because I have hypoglycemia and feel like I will pass out if I dont eat for a while. Now Im doing an experiment this weekend to see how it works. I took a cheat meal yesterday and ate two sausage and cheese croissants from Burger King and a medium hashbrown. Tonight Im going to Longhorn steakhouse with my mom for mothers day and Im sure that will be one hell of a cheat meal. Lets see what happens

You need to get this cheat meal rubbish out of your vocab. You cant keep using it as an excuse, if you are wanting to eat good food, go earn it.

Also based on your pics (Good job on the weight loss btw) you would probably benefit from gaining some LBM and like mentioned following a proven program.

[Rabbitjb]

Im not going to ignore you. But yeah I used to use a food calculator and it was myfitnesspal. It worked well for a long time, and I was losing weight steadily. Then all of a sudden I get to a grinding halt at 180 lbs and BOOM....plateau for 4 months! So I tried everything to break this plateau, and nothing worked. Then all of a sudden I tried something new and BANG....it worked! Im kind of hoping to do this for a limited time because from past experience it seems harder to lose than to maintain. But Im like, good God, I hope dont have to eat this way when Im 10-12% bf. Im willing to aim for a higher bf % in the future, if I do have to keep this up because its ridiculous.

Odds are you got complacent, errors snuck in on your logging both food intake and exercise and whilst you thought the numbers were right they weren't and you hit maintenance

The way you are eating is highly restrictive and unhealthy IMO